TNT Coaches Debrief, Week #5

Dear Team,

This Sunday:  8am, Santa Monica Civic Center we do it all again, this time for 5 1/2 miles.  Sounds like a lot, but what you may not realize is most of you have already gone 4 or 5 miles last week.  Totally doable.  The route will be south on the boardwalk through Venice Beach to Washington Street where we turn around.  Shoe clinic after practice.  Route:

http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/2169310

Tip o’ the week:  You can find inspiration just about anywhere.  Maybe it’s cranking up a favorite jam, maybe it’s talking to people about what you’re doing with the Team, reading an inspirational novel, it’s everywhere.  Being inspired will help keep you motivated on those cold, dark mornings or as we get busier with the holidays quickly approaching.  

Speaking of the holidays, this is a great time to kick up your fundraising.  Some fun holiday ideas might be selling hand-made greeting cards, offering your services to wrap presents in exchange for a donation, selling a cookbook full of recipes of your favorite holiday treats?  Fundraising is not just asking people for money, it’s about creating some excitement, fun, and awareness.  Some of the best charity fundraisers don’t feel at all like fundraisers.  Instead, think about how to get people excited to support you and the cause.

Your inspired coaching staff,

Gary, Ed, Christy and Chip

Rising up straight to the top, had the guts, got the glory.  Went the distance, now I’m not gonna stop:  Just a man and his will to survive.

- Song lyrics blatantly stolen from “Eye of the Tiger”

Highlights from Today’s clinic on Hydration

Today Coach Christy talked about the importance of proper nutrition and hydration. Here is an overview of what was discussed.

Tags: Clinic, hydration, nutrition, Training

Coach led mid week training starts tonight!

We’re going to be starting our coach-led mid-week training sessions tonight at 7:30pm.  We’ll meet at La Cienega Park  with some circuit strength training for all levels.  We’ll be doing it every Thursday so come join us!

 

 

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Tags: Training

TNT weekly powwow, week #3

Hi all,

A happy thanksgiving to all of you, I hope you are able to spend it with family and friends, food and football, and maybe even sneak a run in at some point!  Holidays are often a good milestone day to stop and think about what’s important and where you’re going.  As we’ve tried to express in emails and practices, there are a lot of people out there who are thanking you.  Some are people close to us, but there are thousands of others out there who we’ll never meet.  So on behalf of all of those people, I want to express my thanks.  Thank you for being willing to undertake this big, scary, exciting adventure that we’ve embarked on.  Thank you for working hard, for being an inspiration to others, and for helping make this world a better place.

 

We snuck last week’s run/walk in right before the rain hit, I’ll take it!  I saw plenty of smiles as well, which is always a good sign.  Some of you may already have noticed your body starting to adapt to the training, you feel better after finishing than you did at the start.  Maybe you’re a little tired or sore, but you find yourself in good spirits anyways.  In other words, it’s the feeling that it’s good to be alive!

 

This Sunday we’ll do it all over again.  We’ll go out-and-back 50 minutes north on Ocean Blvd.  If you make it that far, turn right on Marguerita Ave (between Montana and San Vicente) and continue there until it’s time to turn around.  A map link for those visually inclined:

 

http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/58955444

 

Running tip o’ the week:  As the temperatures get colder, layering is a great technique.  You can add or remove layers as you get cold or hot.  Some of you may be wondering what to wear when you’re running.  Well, we’ll have a runway fashion show on Sunday that will show you exactly that!

 

Gary

 

Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.

~ Marcel Proust

TNT Yard Sale to Cure Cancer

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/gms/2708780803.html

Every dollar from the sale of items from this yard sale will be donated to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in our mission to cure blood cancers. Everything must go.

Sale Date: Saturday November 19, 2011: 7:00am until everything is gone.
1547 South Hayworth Avenue
Los Angeles, California 90035

Awesome items for you:

Dog Crate
Luggage
Small Appliances
Clothes
Shoes
DVDs
Lamps
Recliner
Sleep Number Mattress – brand new with manual
Tivos
Microwave – hardly used
Vacuum – new
Coffee Maker
iTrip for iPod
…many more incredibly nice items!

Cookies and Beverages will also be for sale.

Tags: Fundraiser

Interval watches

Many of you got your first taste of run/walk intervals this past Sunday.  I will encourage most of you to use these throughout the season. We’ll be gradually increasing the intervals as we progress through the season, but we’ll also be increasing the mileage at the same time so we’ll use moderation.

Mentors will be calling out the intervals for their group, but I also encourage you to get a watch that allows you to track them yourself.  That way, you can use them during the week, in case you get separated from your group, on race day when it’s easy to get separated from people, and more.  You don’t have to go buy a $300 GPS watch, you really don’t need it.  Almost any digital watch will have a stopwatch, but you’re looking for the words “interval timer” in the list of features.  An interval timer basically means you can set multiple times for it to beep (e.g. a 4/1 interval will go 4 minutes, beep, then 1 minute, beep, and repeat).  A “countdown timer” will only allow you to set one time (e.g. 4 minutes, beep, 4 minutes, beep, 4 minutes, beep, etc) which is not what you want.  Of course, you can always just use a basic stopwatch and keep your eyes on it too, whatever works.

Mentor Kim bought one on Amazon for $25, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00020J16M/ref=oh_o00_s00_i00_details

You can find them at places like Target, Walmart, Costco, most sporting goods stores, etc and often for $25-$40.  Most of the Ironman watches have them, same with watches from Nike and Adidas (although they tend to be more expensive).  I typed in “interval timer” on Amazon’s watches category and it gave me 74 options.

If you don’t know how to set it, bring it to practice and we’ll find someone to help!

Gary

Donation Letters

Don’t forget to write your letters and bring them to practice on Sunday. LLS will pay for postage and send out 100 letters for you!!

Here are some tips for writing a successful donation letter:

What to include (check these off as you go):

 The cause. Talk about LLS, include some encouraging research statistics, note how far we’ve come, etc.

 Why the cause is important to you. Your network and donors are supporting YOU in this adventure. With each donation, it is YOUR effort, passion and inspiration that are bringing them to support you. Few of the donors that contribute to you will have contributed to LLS this year without your help. Make sure you show your friends and family why you are passionate about this cause and why it’s important to you.

 What you are doing. The event, distance, type of training, etc.

 Your personal connection to the cause. Write about a personal honoree or your team honorees.

 How to donate. Include a link to your eFundraising webpage and give instructions for donating online or via postal mail.

 Give a deadline. Within two to four weeks is good. This will help prevent your potentials from ―forgetting‖ to donate.

 Include matching gift information. Some companies will match employee donations dollar-for-dollar (sometimes more!). Ask your donors to check with their company.

 Self-addressed-stamped-envelope. If you’re mailing your letters via post, this is a must!

Things to consider( check these off as you go):

 Use individual salutations. Don’t write ―”Dear Friends”; write ―”Dear George”. Use a mail merge program to facilitate this.

 Keep the text punchy. Readers have short attention spans. Keep your writing concise.

 Add your own style. Be sincere, dramatic, quirky or funny! Construct your letter in a way that speaks to your personality.

 Ask directly for money and suggest how much to give. If you write with the intention of raising money but don’t explicitly ask, your letter will confuse the reader.

 Use anecdotes. What made you want to join TNT?

 Thank previous donors. People want to join a successful campaign. Thank previous donors not only to show appreciation but also to convey a sense of growing support.

 Emphasize important points to keep readers’ eyes moving down the page.

 Write a note on each letter. Handwriting is a good way to customize each letter, and it provides additional emphasis.

 List names. Naming your honorees makes the cause more real.

 Photos. Everyone likes pictures!

 Other ways to support. If they can’t donate, can they offer something for an auction or watch your kids while you train?

Tags: Fundraising

Fundraiser- Garage Sale Saturday 11/19

GARAGE SALE in CULVER CITY – 11831 ATLANTIC AVE, 90066ALL PROCEEDS GO TO LEUKEMIA AND LYMPHOMA SOCIETYGarage Sale this Saturday Nov. 19th, 8:30am-1:30pm.
- Bookshelves
- Full-size Futon
- Desk lamps
- Bar table with 2 bar stools
- Desk chair
- Picture frames
- TONS OF CLOTHES!Please come out and support 4 Team in Training members who are fundraising for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Thank you!

Tags: Fundraising

1st Practice is Sunday!

Our first practice will be Sunday, November 13th in front of the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium (1855 Main Street near the corner of Pico and Main Street). Don’t worry about trying to find us, we’ll be easy to spot (lots of Team in Training shirts) in front of the Auditorium’s parking lot on Main Street. Street parking is free on Sunday. If you have any training questions or concerns please contact Coach Gary at gary@stolzfamily.com and/or Coach Ed at eidell@roadrunner.com.

What to Expect: Practice will start promptly at 8:00am with open registration. We will follow with TEAM announcements, introductions, and a sports clinic. Please wear something warm over your exercise clothing during these activities. As the season progresses announcements will be shorter. After our sports clinic we will do our 30 minute run/walk followed by a Coach hosted potluck. During the potluck we will meet with our mentor group to socialize and learn about how to set up our fundraising webpages and navigate our eFundraising website! Expect practice to go from 8:00am – 11:00/11:30am.

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Tags: Practice

Spring Season Kickoff

Tags: Events